It’s midsummer and temperatures are rising. I think it’s about time we lower the temperatures of our food, and what could be better than cold soups? They are refreshing, full of rich flavors, healthy, and filling (and a good way to sneak your kids those vegetables they do not always want to eat 😉 )
In my previous article I talked about healthy box lunches, and I promised a new article about cold soups, which can also be taken to work for a quick and easy lunch. And you do not even need to use the microwave to heat it up. Just open the Tupperware and dig in.
There’s no cooking involved, just chop up some veggies and throw them in the blender. That’s all you need.
The best known cold soup is obviously gazpacho, but today I am going to share two awesome recipes with you that are quite different and mouthwatering good. There are many more, but I’ll start with these two. I’ll tell you what, I’ll throw in my favorite, creamy basil avocado soup. The second one, creamy raw tomato soup, is also very tasty. Yes, creamy, and there’s no cooking involved.
Pros of Cold Soups
There are plenty of benefits. Time to make a list again 🙂
- Rich in vitamins
- You can be innovative with cold soups
- No sweating in a hot kitchen, no oven or stove turned on
- Quick and easy preparation
- Low in calories
Creamy Basil Avocado Soup
I’ve been making this one for years, especially in the summers. Not only is it really good, it also fills you with energy. Sometimes we do need that extra energy to get our work done, don’t we? Well, this soup is my green energizer. You don’t need many ingredients and it takes no more than 5 minutes to make.
Ingredients
- 1 avocado (peeled, quartered, and pit removed)
- 1 garlic clove
- 4 chopped up scallions (I prefer the flavor of scallions to raw onions, but if you like something stronger, then I recommend 1/4 chopped red onion. Either one of them will work fine)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup tamarind sauce
- 1 cup hot water
- salt and pepper to taste
- 5 pitted black olives
- a handful of spinach
- a bunch of fresh basil
Instructions
Easy, throw it all into the blender, press the button, aaand … blend. When it has become a nice green mixture, pour the soup into bowls (or your Tupperware if you’re planning on taking it to work).
==> If you’d like to know what blender I use, click here for more info <==
Creamy Raw Tomato Soup
The first time I made this one, I was pleasantly surprised by the rich flavor. You see, tomatoes and I have not always gotten along. When I was a little girl I hated raw tomatoes. I thought they tasted awful. And my parents made me eat them. I had to eat what was put on the table. You remember those times, don’t you, lol.
The only way I liked tomatoes was when they were cooked, for example like in tomato sauce, and I really loved tomato soup. That had a much better flavor for me.
In my twenties I moved to Mexico, and I tried different types of organic tomatoes, and I fell in love. This was so much better than what I was used to. Some of them tasted sweet, they were all so juicy, simply delicious. Now, when I cut up tomatoes for a meal, I often end up grabbing one of them and just eating it whole. Now, I absolutely love tomatoes! We have finally reconciled and begun a loving relationship 😉
Time For the Creamy Tomato Soup Recipe
OK, without further ado, here comes the recipe. Just like the cold avocado soup, this one is pretty easy too.
Ingredients
- 6 small saladette tomatoes
- 1 red Bell pepper
- half a lime
- 1 avocado
- salt and pepper to taste (I prefer ground black pepper)
- half a tea spoon of curry powder (optional – I just love to add curry, but it’s not necessary)
- scallop greens or cherry tomatoes for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Chop the tomatoes and Bell pepper and put them in the blender
- Squeeze the half lime over the tomatoes and Bell pepper
- Blend
- Stop blending, add the curry, salt, and pepper, and blend again
- Pour into a bowl, and garnish with a few scallion greens, or if you prefer to stick to the same color, use halved cherry tomatoes. You can be creative here 😉
So, there you go, two recipes that are perfect for these hot summer days, that are healthy and filling and even give you energy to get your work done. Or, let’s not talk about work, let’s store the energy for a fun day or night, right?
I hope that you like these recipes and give them a try at home. You only need a good blender and some veggies. If you are still not convinced about tomatoes, then please try organic ones, preferably Saladette, they are delicious and juicy. Organic vegetables have a much richer flavor than store bought ones. I am growing some vegetables in my garden, and honestly, they are so much better and richer in flavor. Only yesterday did I fry a red onion I had grown in a pot, and oh my, it was the best onion I had ever had. And onions are not everyone’s favorite, are they?
There is a huge difference between homegrown cherry tomatoes or any kind of tomatoes and the store bought ones.
If you can get your hands on some organic veggies, then use them to make those cold soups. It will make all the difference 🙂
Please let me know in the comments your thoughts or any questions you might have. If you’d like to me to share more cold soup recipes in my next post or if you would like me to give more information about vegan sausages, please tell me in the comments. I’m always happy to help and share 🙂
Christine, In the heat of the summer these soups sounds absolutely delicious. I am a lover of tomatoes after growing up with my dad tending to a garden and eating them from right off the vine still warm from the sun.
Avocados are so amazing as well with their creaminess and I never thought of making a soup from them. Thank you for awakening the avocado soup in me.
Bon Appetit
Hi Jane,
Yes, try out the avocado soup, it is so delicious and it will give you a burst of energy 🙂
Thank you for visiting my blog 🙂
I hadn’t heard too much about cold soups before coming across your post so I found it to be really interesting and informative. Most times I like my soup hot but you’ve really peaked my interest here. Creamy basil avocado soup sounds out of this world. Avocado I know is one of the super foods so this sounds both delicious and really healthy, so I’m definitely going to try your recipe. Also it’s almost time for a new blender so I’ll save your link for when it’s time, thank you!
Hello,
I love this cold avocado soup. I have made it so many times, it is delicious, and as you say, it’s really healthy 🙂
Thanks Christine. Your soup reminds me of something my aunt made once which was like sweet potato soup and it tasted good cold too. The avocado soup sounds Very good too. I have been through a lot of blenders so I clicked on your blender page. I tried to blend things too thick and I even ended up burning out the motor in something like an 800 watt blender. I think I need a blender that I can actually replace the motor with a car engine or something like that. I like blending things very thick. Do you have any ideas on like a serious blender that wouldn’t break if I blend things too thick?
Sweet potato soup sounds good too. I like the taste of sweet potatoes.
For heavy usage I would recommend the vitamix 5200, it can blend large batches and it has a radial cooling fan. If you like to blend things thick, then the vitamix would definitely be better.
My question is, what is nutritional yeast, and where would I find it?
I am always on the search for new and different recipes to try. I cook for four people who all have different tastes. So, I am excited to have landed on your page that is chaulked full of new and exciting recipes.
Another question that I have is: are the soups lumpy? I have a weird little tick about eating lumps. If they are, do you know a trick to getting the chunks out?
Thank you for your advice, I can not wait to try the Creamy Basil Avocado Soup.
Hi Dovey,
I added a photo of nutritional yeast in my blog. You can get it on Amazon, Trader Joe’s, and other health stores. Nutritional yeast is a natural source for B12 and it has a delicious cheesy taste.
The soup hasn’t had lumps in my experience. Just make sure the avocado is ripe (soft enough), and blend well. You’ll see that there won’t be any lumps.
Isn’t it amazing how our taste buds change as we get older. I used to hate onions in anything, but now I am a fan! thanks for the recipes, these look more delicious than my frozen veggies I take to work most days!
I know, interesting how our taste buds change with the years ? I have noticed that with a few other things too ?
I don’t think I’ve ever had a cold soup, but these sound delish! I must try them out as the heat increases here in Florida.
They’re perfect for hot weather ??
Well well well, I love cold food like IceCream anyways! Cold Soups are amazing I already tried 2 recipes we have in my homeland.
But you sure provided me with new ideas and recipes Creamy Basil Avocado Soup seems promising and I want to try it. But I wonder how its gonna taste with spinach in it, I never ate it uncooked! As for Creamy Raw Tomato Soup recipe, it seems good too but I am not a big fan of raw tomato. However, I will give it a try it might turn out so good! But I do have a question, you wrote that you add curry powder, can I add with it other kinds spices? Have you tried adding different types of spices? because I love to try things so I want to check your opinion about it.
I will write here this recipe I tried and it is a great vegan one.
Mango Ginger Soup
Ingredients
1 large mango (peeled and destoned)
1/2 onion (chopped)
1/2 cup cold water
1 to 2 small chilli peppers (minced)
Juice from 1 lime
1/2 tsp. ginger (grated or minced)
Steps to Make It
Process all ingredients together in a blender until smooth and creamy, adding a bit more or less water as needed.
Chill before serving.
Wow, I’m going to make that mango ginger soup! It’s mango season right now in Mexico, so there are no excuses 😉
Regarding raw spinach, I started eating it raw after I moved to Mexico, I like organic spinach raw, it tastes pretty good and it’s good for you. Remember Popeye? 😉
As to your question,yes, go ahead and add different spices. I like curry a lot, but if you prefer to use different spices in your cold soup, I would go for it. I love nothing better than to improvise in the kitchen. Many times the best meals are improvised, it’s all about being creative, right?
Hi, Christine. I am not very familiar with cold soup. However, I love eating healthier and taking care of my health. Your recipes sound very good nutritionally. I’m going to try them. And also I will be checking your site for more recipes. Thank you for the value you added to my healthy lifestyle today.
Hi Fany,
I’m so glad you stopped by 🙂 These soups are definitely healthy and give you energy. I will add more recipes in upcoming posts 🙂
Hi Christine. There’s nothing more that I like to eat in both summer and winter then soup. Hot soup in winter and cold soup in summer. Thank you so much for these delicious recipes. I’ll be able to try the cold Tomato one soon, as the weather is warming up rapidly here in Australia and I’m jut about ready to go from cold to hot. I think my next soup after that will be the creamy avocado one. They’re in good supply at the moment. Thank you for this interesting article. Jim
Hi Jim, I also love soup, hot soup in the winter and cold soups in the summer. I’ll make sure to share some hot soup recipes in the winter.
Enjoy the cold soups! 🙂
Except for gazpacho I have never really tried any other cold soups. After reading your creamy basil avocado soup recipe I can’t wait to get to the store for some ingredients!! All my favorites- avocado,basil and garlic all I can say is Yummmm! Bookmarked your site for more ideas.Spinach is also great when you saute it with garlic and olive oil.
Oh yes, spinach sauteed with garlic and olive oil is delicious! I love spinach. You’ll love the soup, it’s so good 🙂
I loved this post. I am a HUGE fan of soups and eat them at least twice a week. However though I have heard of cold soup and have had cold soup from restaurants, I never really understood how they were made. I seriously thought they were cooked soup that was never really reheated.
This post of yours has educated me and has given me some ideas for creating my own cold soup recipes. I love to cooking and create new recipes. But one I definitely going to make this weekend after I go food shopping is your Creamy Basil Avocado Soup. I like the taste of basil and love avocados even more. Thanks for the recipes.
The creamy basil avocado soup is my favorite, I love it! And yes, you can certainly be very creative and make your own delicious combinations 🙂
Hi Christine
Thank you very much for sharing such amazing and informative post with us. Cold soups are very good for all at summer. You have shared some cold soups summer recipe those take less than 5 minutes to make. By reading your post I am sure that they are refreshing, full of rich flavours healthy, and a good way to sneak our kids those vegetables they do not always want to eat. Before reading your post I didn’t know enough about the super cold soups. But reading your post I think it is more preferable to me at summer.
Thanks again. I’ll share this post with my friends and family.
Hello, they are certainly very refreshing and so healthy 🙂
Thank you for sharing!
Hi, Christine. I have been searching for recipes making healthy, raw food. You have given me more ideas how to make them taste delicious and healthy at the same time. I can’t wait to try them out as a soup for my meals. Looking forward to more nutritious recipes from you.
Hello, I will share more recipes soon 🙂
These soups are refreshing and delicious, you’ll love them.